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Pieces of history discovered at century-old Revue Cinema

Original wall coverings, thought to be from 1912 debut of Roncesvalles Ave. theatre, discovered during renovations

The Revue Cinema in May 2014. (Google Streetview)

Paintings conservator Tessa Klein works on preparing the old wall covering for restoration. Mark Ellwood, Chair of the Revue Film Society, stands it what might have been a ticket window. (Keith Beaty / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

The Revue Theatre as seen circa the mid-1930s. Its name was changed to Revue Cinema in the early 1970s. (City of Toronto Archive Photo)

In 1912, Toronto was a different world — a smaller world — on many fronts. The growing population hadn’t hit 500,000, and far fewer buildings dotted the landscape; construction on the city’s current incarnation of Union Station, for instance, wouldn’t start for several more years. Over a century ago, the yet-to-be-built train station was one of many missing landmarks in a skyline devoid of towering skyscrapers, the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower.

The theatre has been a west-end fixture for these last 103 years, withstanding a name change, decades of renovations and expansions and a year-long closure in 2006. A rebirth came in 2007, after community members rallied to save and reopen their beloved movie house, shut down after the death of its owner. Last year, they began a new round of renovations to restore the Revue to its former glory.

During the most recent round of renovations to the century-old Revue Cinema, a once-blocked off section of the lobby - featuring original wainscoting and a 100-year-old ticket window - was discovered. Now, the group is restoring these bits of Toronto history. Paintings conservator Tessa Klein works on preparing the old wall covering for restoration. (Keith Beaty)

That’s when community members discovered something special buried behind unused ductwork in front lobby: Vintage wainscoting, canvas wall pieces and what could be the wooden frame of an original ticket booth — all potentially from the theatre’s birth in 1912.

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Earlier this month, the society originally formed to save the theatre began work to restore the small space in the lobby’s north corner. “We’ve hired a local art restorer to take care of the canvas and bring it back to life,” says Mark Ellwood, chair of the board for the Revue Film Society.

A local contractor will be working on the wood detailing as well, he says. “Our plan is to put a stained-glass panel in there that’s reflective of the times,” Ellwood says, in regards to the empty space he speculates housed a ticket booth.

The society marvelled at the previously undiscovered area, especially given the all the remodelling efforts over the decades. “This place has changed so many times over the years, but somebody left that somehow,” says Ellwood, motioning to the lobby area that was frozen in time.

The ongoing renovations are preserving and restoring as much of the theatre as possible — including its decades-old patterned ceiling — while adding modern touches and necessary upgrades, such as stage lighting so the front of the theatre can double as a performance space.

Ellwood says the renovations have gone beyond the not-for-profit’s roughly $125,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, issued in 2014. The corner restoration alone will be $10,000, he notes — leading to fundraising efforts such as a spring gala on May 23.

But the cost and effort is worth it, according to Ellwood.

“This place is oozing with history,” he says. “We preserve as much as we can find.”

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